Reticulated wrought-iron grating.



G. A. KELLER.

RETIGULATED WROUGHT IRON GRATING.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 27,1912.

Patented Nov. 26, 1912.

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EETICULATED WROUGHT-IRON GRATING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 27, 1912. Serial No. 686,663.

invented certain new and useful Improve ments in BeticulatedWrought-Tron Grat-' ings, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to metal gratings used to coveropenings in floorsand street sidewalks and slmilar surfaces where there is heavy traffic.

A'familiar instance of the application of my invention is for coveringareaways or vaults in front of buildings under the sidewalks of citystreets, tilating openings in sidewalks. The ordinary iron gratingcomposed of straight parallel bars is apt to sag and twist out of shapeforming dangerousopenings. Even when in first class condition suchgratings do not form good fo-otholds for pedestrians. Shoes are liableto jam between the bars or slip lengthwise of the same. If in the effortto avoid these difliculties one inserts intermediate strips between thebars or attempts to combine bent strips of the same width or depth, theconnecting rivets are diflicultof access by the riveting tool and thedeep pockets formed between the bars or strips soon become stopped upwith filth scraped off the shoes of pedestrians which. interfereswiththe desired passage of light and air. I have invented a form ofgrating which avoids all these difficulties and meets all reuirements ofuse in streets and buildings, and the best form of such invention atpresent known to me is illustrated inThe accompanying sheet of drawingsin which,

Figure 1 is a plan view of the grating with parts broken away. Fig. 2 islongitudinal section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a crosssection on line 3-3 of Fig. 1. I Throughout the drawings like referencecharacters refer to like parts.

1, 1, are bent strips forming the sides of a panel of my improvedgrating and 2, 2', are

angle iron end pieces to which side strips 1, 1, are riveted. Withinthis rectangular frame, and resting on the flanges of the angle irons 2,2, is the grating proper which consists of a series of straight bars orstrips 3 3, of considerable depth or width and considerable thicknesssuflicient to fit them or the covering of veni to serve as girdermembersand support all the weight the'grating is designed to carry, anda series of reticulatedor bent strips 4, 4, of-less depth and thicknesswhich are alternated with strips 3, 3, and serve as spac ing members forthe same. The straight bars are arranged parallel to the side strips 1,1, and the reticulated strips zig-zag back and forth between thestraight bars or strips. The two are fastened together 'at every pointof contact, preferably by rivets 5, 5. The straight bars and reticulatedstrips are so located that their upper edges are all in the same plane,as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, which plane coincides with the upper surfaceof the grating.

In operation the girder bars 8, 3, supply Patented new. as, rate.

the strength to carry the weight. They are braced, spaced and stiffenedby the spacing strips 4, 4. The two together form an upper bearingsurface on the grating which affords support at every point for the footof pedestrian, and-presents a sharp resistance to slipping in everydirection. F urther advantages reside in the lightness of the gratingcombined with its great strength; ease of access to the rivets which arenear the surface of the grating which facilitates manufacture andrepairs; the self cleaning quality resulting from the fact that dirtaccumulating in the pockets between the strips finds little surface toadhere to on strips 4, 4C, and is soon pushed through to the largerspaces below said strips where it falls freely; and in the greaterfreedom of passage to light and air.

Other fastening means could be substituted for the rivets and theparticular outline shown in Fig. 1 might be varied, without discardingthe underlying principle of my invention, which consists essentially ofa reticulated grating built up of a series of wide straight bars with aseries of intermediate narrow, zig-zag spacing strips, fastened thereto,the upper edges of both bars and strips being located in the same planewhich forms the top surface of the grating when the same is in positionfor use.

Having, therefore, described my invention, I claim:

l. A grating for sidewalks and floors which comprises'in combination aseries of straight'bars and a series of intermediate reticulated stripsof much less depth, riveted at every point of contact to the straightbars,

i the upper edges of all the bars and strips being in the same plane,and the space between the straight bars below the reticulated stripsbeing entirely open. 2. A grating for sidewalks and floors whichcomprises in combination a series of straight :bars extendinghorizontally in vertioal planes, said straight bars bging if onuce a girer-li e orbetween, and rigidly fastened at every point of contact to,the straight bars, the upper edges of all the bars and strips being inthe same plane, and the space between the straight bars below thereticulated strips being entirely open.

GUSTAV A. KELLER.

Witnesses:

A. PARKER SMITH, M. G. CRAWFORD.

